


Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon

by HoransPayne



Series: NiamNetwork Themes [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 03:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9953567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoransPayne/pseuds/HoransPayne
Summary: “What does it say, sweetheart?” His mother had asked him. Liam gulped, not quite sure if someone was tricking him or not.“Er, it says: ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.’” Liam began, quickly cut off by gasps from his parents and sisters.“School of what?” His father sounded shocked. He scratched at his stubble in wonder.“Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Liam repeated.





	

Liam’s nerves had been running on high for weeks now, ever since he received that letter. He’d gotten birthday cards in the post before, but never a proper letter; just like most eleven year old boys. His heart leapt the moment his mother handed him the letter, his name and address written neatly in ink. He turned the envelope over in his hands, and revealed a red stamp sealing it closed. It seemed to be imprinted with some sort of crest, or coat of arms, with an ‘H’ in the centre of it. There was some sort of ribbon underlining the crest, containing the words “DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM TITILLANDUS”. Liam looked this up later and found it said “never tickle a sleeping dragon”. After reading the letter, he decided to just go with it and accept that dragons possibly did exist, despite what he’d been told for years. His parents watched in wonder as Liam’s eyes widened whilst reading his letter.

“What does it say, sweetheart?” His mother had asked him. Liam gulped, not quite sure if someone was tricking him or not.

“Er, it says: ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.’” Liam began, quickly cut off by gasps from his parents and sisters.

“School of what?” His father sounded shocked. He scratched at his stubble in wonder.

“Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Liam repeated. “Hang on, there’s more. ‘Dear Mr. Payne, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.’” Liam paused here to pick up the envelope again, and found another sheet of paper similar to the one in his hand inside it. “This must be it.” He scanned over the page quickly. “It says about the uniform and books I need to get and-what?” He paused in shock.

“What is it, Liam?” His oldest sister, Nicola, prompted him.

“It says, um, that I can bring an owl, cat or toad with me.” He looked up to find the four faces staring back at him, all sharing the same faces full of wonder and disbelief.

“Anything else?” His father asked him, with a hint of sarcasm tracing his words.

“Just that term starts on the 1st September, and they expect my owl no later than the 31st July.”

“Owl! What century are these people living in?” His other sister, Ruth, exclaimed, laughing quietly to herself.

“Someone must be having you on, Li.” Nicola said, her face soft; worried someone was playing some practical joke on her little brother in order to upset him.

“It looks pretty real.” He argued. 

“Yes, perhaps, but magic isn’t darling.” His mother reasoned with him, sharing the same worries as her daughter.

“But, it would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?” Liam looked at them, hope brightening his dark brown eyes.

“Explain what, Li?” Ruth asked him.

“Well, you know at Christmas the other year when-“

“Liam, for Christ’s sake, we don’t want to hear more excuses for you throwing the pudding over your cousin!” His mum interrupted him, rather exasperated. They’d heard this story a million times. Liam swore it wasn’t him who dumped the Christmas pudding over his cousin, but no one in the family believed him. It was a known fact that that particular cousin was never very kind towards Liam, and everyone had just assumed the poor boy had had enough of his incessant bullying. 

“But I really didn’t do it!” Liam was just as exasperated as his mother. As much as he would’ve loved to dump pudding all over his cousin, it really wasn’t his fault. No one seemed to believe his story that it just flew through the air on his own, and he understood why. “It could explain other stuff too!”

“Like what? Liam, you know magic isn’t real, and you can’t start using it as some excuse for all the times you’ve been in trouble in that past.” Liam sank in his chair as he was scolded by his father.

“But, what about when-“

“Liam, that is enough! Now go upstairs and hurry up, we need to go shopping for your school things today. And for your proper school, not some fake magic school.” His father was a very stern man, and Liam knew better than to argue with him, so he hurried up the stairs to his room rather glumly. He took the letter with him and lay on his bed, turning it over in his hands. It looked so real, even a signature of the deputy headteacher was scrawled on the bottom of the page. Liam knew what his family thought; he’d been picked on by some boys in the past, and they believed someone was just trying to pull some joke on him. He knew himself that none of the kids that had picked on him in the past were clever enough to construct something like this. They wouldn’t be able to think of fake names of a headteacher and deputy headteacher, they wouldn’t be able to fake a signature like that, they wouldn’t be able to fake the stamp like that and he knew none of them could write like that either. He also knew they cared too little about him to put that much effort into trying to upset him. Plus, a school for magic was way too out there to be a joke, Liam reasoned. 

 

***

 

“I believe you, Li.” Ruth had told him later on. She’d knocked on his door and sat beside him on his bed. Liam smiled at this. Ruth always believed him. She’d been stood next to him during the infamous ‘Christmas pudding incident’, and knew he’d never touched it. Ruth always believed him. “Let’s see your letter then.” She was smiling softly down at her younger brother, as he handed over the envelope. She pulled the letter out carefully, and Liam watched her read over it.

“It says you have to get robes!” She started laughing. “How posh is this school?” Liam smiled at his sister and shrugged.

“Where do you reckon it is?” Liam asked her.

“I don’t know Li, but I doubt it’s very close by if we’ve never heard of it.”

“You don’t think it’s a boarding school, do you?” Ruth shrugged. “No way, I’m not going to a boarding school!”

“Come on, Liam, surely it wouldn’t be that bad.”

“But what if I’m bullied there too? There’ll be no escape then. I’ll actually have to live with my bullies!” Ruth’s face fell as her brother voiced his concerns.

“Liam, at this school you’ll meet all new people. You’ll be away from those nasty kids here.” She rubbed his back tenderly, trying to comfort him the same way she’d seen her mother and older sister do before.

“They’re right though, there’s no such thing as magic. Someone’s just having me on I bet, hoping I’ll get all excited so they can laugh at me.”

 

***

 

But Liam was wrong. He and his family were all proved wrong, when a rather large, hairy figure practically knocked their door down on the 29th July. Liam had never seen a man so big in his life, he practically made their house look tiny.

“Liam Payne?” These were the first words that grumbled out of the man’s mouth, and Liam’s heart sped up in fear.

“Um, that’s me.” He spoke up from where he was hiding behind his parents.

“Who are you?” Liam’s father questioned. He was trying to look strong as he hid his family behind him, despite the way the other man towered over him.

“Rubeus Hagrid, from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” The man had stood up straighter - as straight as he could without hitting his head off the ceiling - and simply beamed. “I’m here to see Liam. You got your letter, right?” Liam nodded. “We haven’t received your owl.”

“You can’t be serious!” Liam’s father was baffled. “This school surely can’t be real?”

“Of course it is! And it’s the best school you’ll find in the world!”

 

***

 

Hagrid had sat down with Liam’s family, and explained everything over tea. He assured them that Hogwarts was most definitely a real school, proved that magic existed by making an empty chair float for a little while, and explained that he’d come to visit Liam to see why he hadn’t responded to his letter yet. 

“But how come I’m the only one going to this school? Why don’t Ruth and Nicola get to go?” Liam had asked him.

“Well, that’s quite simply really. You’re the only one that’s a wizard in your family.”

“How is that possible?” Liam’s eyes widened.

“You’re a muggle-born.” He watched the five faces before him reflect their bewilderment before continuing. “A muggle is someone who can’t do magic, like your parents and sisters, Liam. You are muggle-born, Liam. A person who can do magic, whereas the rest of their family can’t.”

“But why me?”

“I don’t know, Liam. Obviously there’s something very special about you.” Liam sat up, this comment perking him up. 

The next day, Hagrid had taken Liam and his family to Diagon Alley, and guided them around. He showed them how to change their “muggle money” to wizard money, and gave them a tour of the winding streets of Diagon Alley. He took Liam to get his first wand, his Hogwarts robes, all the textbooks he needed, and finally took him to get a pet. Liam decided to get an owl, thinking it’d be boring to get a cat, and he didn’t much care for toads. He also gave Liam his train ticket for the Hogwarts Express, before explaining how Liam was to get onto platform 9 and ¾. 

 

***

 

Describing the young eleven year old as excited was an understatement, as Liam practically ran through King’s Cross Station. The five of them were all rather sceptical about running through a wall, but Liam ran through first, not wanting to wait any longer. He gasped in surprise as he saw the rather old-looking red and black train, named The Hogwarts Express. He was saddened to say goodbye to his family, and was extremely nervous as he watched the hustle and bustle of all the families before him saying goodbye to their children, but his feelings of excitement overpowered his other feelings.  
He chose the first empty carriage he could find to sit down in, and sat next to the window, where he could wave to his family from. He watched the other families in wonder as they bid goodbye to their kids. Liam had never seen so many funnily dressed people before, and he wondered how he’d never realised these people existed before. Did witches and wizards live in some segregated area to ‘muggles’? Was Liam going to have to move away from his family? He really didn’t want that. Luckily, Liam’s thoughts were interrupted before he could worry too much by the carriage door opening.

“Mind if I sit in here?” He turned his head to see a boy who looked the same age as Liam, but a lot less nervous looking.

“Yeah, of course.” Liam smiled at him, trying to look welcoming. He’d always had trouble making friends, and he was hoping to change things. Ruth assured him that he was getting a fresh start at this school. No one knew who he was, so he could be whoever he wanted to. 

“I’m Niall, it’s me first year.” The boy had a strong Irish accent, and Liam had to strain his ears extra hard to understand him. He’d never met an Irish person before, so he’d had no practice at understanding the accent, but he didn’t want to upset the other boy.

“I’m Liam, it’s my first year too.”

“Nice to meet you, Liam.” The boy reached his hand out towards Liam, and he took it. “Me brother’s been to Hogwarts, but he’s left by now. You got any brothers or sisters?”

“Yeah, I’ve got two sisters.”

“They go to Hogwarts?” Liam shook his head. “Oh, so they must be younger then?”

“No, they’re both older than me.”

“Oh, so they’ve already left too, like my brother?” Liam shook his head again. Niall’s face scrunched up in confusion. “So, where do they go to school?”

“Just some school in Wolverhampton.” Liam shrugged, nonchalantly.

“Wolverhampton? Where’s that?”

“Um, near Birmingham?” Liam offered.

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of Birmingham. I’m from Ireland you see, don’t really know much about England.” Liam nodded in understanding. The train began to pull away at this point, and Liam chose to look out the window to wave goodbye to his family.  
The two boys were quiet for some time, both of them choosing to look out the window in wonder.

“So, why didn’t your sisters come to Hogwarts?” Niall broke the silence. Liam turned to meet his gaze, feeling a little naked under the gaze of his piercing blue eyes, accentuated by the boys brown hair.

“They can’t do magic.”

“They’re muggles?” Niall was shocked.

“Um, yeah, muggles.” Liam was still trying to get used to this new world he was now a part of, and so he hadn’t quite picked up the lingo just yet.

“I guess your family are pretty ashamed of them then?” Liam was surprised at the casual way Niall had asked this question.

“No! Of course not! Why would they be?” Liam choked out.

“Because they’re muggles!” Niall seemed exasperated.

"What house were the rest of your family in then?" Niall asked some time later. 

"Um, house?" Was Niall asking for Liam's address?

"Yes, house. Mine are all Slytherins." Niall stated proudly.

"Er, my family didn't go to Hogwarts either. They're - um - m-muggles too." Liam used the word carefully, feeling weird about how it felt to say. 

"So you're a mudblood then?" Niall questioned, his face crinkling in what looked like disgust. 

"Um," Liam stuttered. What the hell was a mudblood? "Hagrid told me I was something called muggle-born."

"No, no, no, you're a mudblood." 

"I don't know what you mean."

"It means you're dirty!" Niall sneered at him. Liam couldn't believe how quickly his blue eyes went from shining brightly, to piercing and icy; almost like daggers. 

"B-but..." Liam wasn't quite sure how to respond. His hands massaged his temples slowly, this new world was way too overwhelming for the young boy. 

"No, no, we're done talking now." Niall had cut him off anyway. "I come from a family of purebloods, we don't associate with people like you." He then made a point of turning his nose up at the other boy, and shifting in his seat to look out the window again. Liam was sure that, if the train wasn't so full, Niall would've surely left the carriage. 

Liam felt rather uncomfortable for the rest of the train journey. Both boys say in silence, Niall shooting daggers at Liam any time he moved in any way. A while into the journey an old woman came into the carriage pushing a trolley full of food. Liam politely declined her offer to buy something - the upset with the other boy fogging his mind too much to think of food - and Niall simply ignored her - rather rudely in Liam's opinion. 

It really upset Liam how quickly his excitement had come and gone. He was so happy at the thought of, perhaps, making a friend, and so soon too. Niall seemed so lovely when he first entered the carriage; he had just been emitting an aura of happiness. He had such a lovely face, Liam thought, and he reckoned the way his eyes shone could compete with the sun. Liam wasn't sure if these were normal thoughts to have about a friend, or at least someone he thought was going to become a friend. Did friends make you blush any time they looked at you? Did friends make your heart flutter any time they spoke to you? Liam wasn't quite sure, but what he was sure of was that Niall had made him feel like that when they first started speaking. Now, all the warmth the boy originally gave off had gone cold. 

Liam was thankful when a few other first years entered their carriage later on. He welcomed their flurry of chatter, mixed with nervousness and excitement. One of the first year boys sat right next to Niall, and they began talking straight away. Later in the journey, Liam couldn't help but notice both boys sharing looks of disgust as they watched him. 

New school, same story, Liam thought to himself as he sighed. Maybe it wasn't too late to go to that secondary school in Wolverhampton he'd been planning to go to. At least there he'd be able to go home at the end of the day and seek comfort in his family. At Hogwarts Liam would be alone. 

Thankfully, Liam was wrong about this. His worries were forgotten the moment the train arrived, and Liam was frozen in amazement at the huge castle before him. He was loaded up into a boat by Hagrid, and Liam was thankful to see a familiar face. The castle was even better inside, Liam thought, as he was lead into the Great Hall. Liam had truly never seen anything quite like it; the sheer vastness of the room containing four long tables filled with other students. At the bottom end of the hall there was the table for the staff. The first years were lead down towards that table, and Liam saw an old tatty leather hat placed on a stool. What an odd thing to have in their hall, Liam had begun to think, when it suddenly began to sing. Liam was surprised that he was still being shocked now; it was a big enough deal that magic existed in the first place, but now an actual hat was singing. The hall erupted in applause as the hat did a sort of bow; the best it could manage without a body, Liam supposed. The first years were then called up one by one, in alphabetical order of their surnames, to come up to the stool. The hat was placed on their heads and it would shout out a word. Sometimes it would say it immediately, sometimes it would take a while, as if it were contemplating. The words were: "Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin". Liam recognised the word 'Slytherin' from something Niall said on the train about houses, so he assumed these were the houses he was on about. Horan, Niall was called out, and Niall walked over. His composure had changed greatly, and Liam thought he looked very small in this moment. Niall broke out in a huge smile, and Liam's stomach flipped a little, when the hat cried out "Slytherin!" It was rather quickly that it was shouted too. One of the tables of students began to clap and shout as Niall strode over to it, the smile never leaving his face. Malik, Zayn was called out later on, and Liam recognised him as the boy that had been sat with Niall on the train and given Liam those dirty looks. After some contemplation, the hat sorted him into Ravenclaw. Liam thought perhaps he didn't look too pleased with this as he walked over rather glumly to the table that was now clapping. 

Payne, Liam was called out after what felt like forever, and Liam felt incredibly sick as he made his way to the stool. He now realised why Niall had looked so small, as he turned to look at the hundreds of faces watching him in anticipation. The hat had barely been lowered onto his head before it shrieked out: "Gryffindor!" Liam's legs felt like jelly as he walked towards the table that was now clapping. He sat down nervously, and felt himself get thumped on the back and heard a few shouts of "well done" and "this is the best house mate, you're in luck". 

Tomlinson, Louis was also sorted into Gryffindor, and he sat next to Liam with a huge smile on his face. 

"I'm half-blooded you see, everyone on my mum's side was in Gryffindor." He told Liam later on, after the boy had recovered from his shock at the food appearing before them. 

"Half-blooded?" Liam questioned. 

"Yeah, my dad's a muggle and my mum's a witch!" He smiled at Liam. 

"Oh, um, I'm a mudblood." Liam told him carefully, not wanting the same reaction he got from Niall. 

"Woah, woah, woah, don't call yourself that!" Louis' smile was wiped off his face and replaced with a look of bewilderment. 

"But why? It's what I am, isn't it? No one else in my family can do magic." Liam didn't get it. 

"Then you're a muggle-born." He noticed Liam's confusion still hadn't faded. "Mudblood isn't a nice word. It's a word purebloods use because they think they're better than everyone else. It's a really offensive word so definitely don't use it about yourself." 

"Oh, I'm sorry." Liam was staring at his hands in his lap, not able to will himself to look at Louis' face. 

"No, no, it's okay. You obviously don't know much about the world of magic and that." Louis' eyes widened as he saw Liam redden. "It's not a bad thing, I promise! I can explain anything you need to know; I know stuff about the muggle and the magic worlds so I can help you." Louis shot Liam a smile, one that Liam would become so familiar with over the next seven years, but it was without the mischievous glint in his eyes Liam learnt to become afraid of.

 

***

 

Louis kept his promise to Liam, and taught him everything he needed to know. He was always there to answer every one of his questions, and never laughed at him like Liam feared he might. By the end of his first year Liam was an expert on all things magic, and he'd actually made his first ever best friend. 

"Liam, where did you hear the word mudblood?" Louis had asked Liam once, about halfway through their first year.

"Um, I was sat with a boy on the train and he said I was one." Liam's faced flushed just at the thought of Niall. He saw him around school a lot, and they had both Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts together. Liam couldn't believe how clever the other boy was. He excelled in all their lessons, and Liam never really saw him put in any effort. In fact, Niall was quite disruptive in lessons. Liam learnt quickly how loud the boy was, in a rather obnoxious but somehow not irritating way. Liam almost found it endearing.

"Do you know who it was?" Liam nodded. "Who?"

"Um, do you know Niall Horan?"

"The lad in Slytherin?" Liam nodded again. "Yeah, yeah I know him alright." There was a look in Louis' eyes that Liam didn't recognise. "Does he ever give you problems now?" 

"No, not really." Niall had perhaps pushed past Liam in the corridors, or shot dirty looks his way, but hadn't actually spoken to Liam since the train journey.

"Has anyone else called you that?"

"Er, well, there was another kid on the train with, um, Niall." Liam blushed as he said his name, and he wasn't sure why.

"Who?"

"I think his name was Zayn."

"The boy in Ravenclaw?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, yeah, I sort of know him. Overheard him complaining to Horan about not being sorted into Slytherin. Apparently his dad was pissed with him."

"Why does it matter?" Surely the house system didn't mean much? Of course, it decided the people you would share rooms and lessons with, but surely they were only there for a bit of friendly competition. Maybe Zayn was upset he didn't get to be with Niall, they seemed like friends. But then, why did his dad care so much?

"The house your sorted in is based on your personality and the qualities a person has. For example, a strong trait for Gryffindors is bravery." Louis explained.

"Bravery? God, I think there was a mistake for me then." Liam was called a wimp on a regular basis back in primary school. He was a lot of things but brave definitely wasn't one of them.

"Of course not! The hat never makes a mistake! Plus, the hat didn't even touch your head before it called out Gryffindor. It didn't even have to think about it Liam!" Louis immediately jumped to his defence, his eyes widening. Liam nodded, unsure of Louis' statement but not willing to argue about it.

"I'd keep out the way of Horan if I were you, Li." Louis had told him after a brief moment of silence. Liam didn't ask for an explanation, not quite sure he really wanted one. He hummed to show his agreement.

 

***

 

This didn't really work out though. Louis introduced Liam to the world of quidditch, and it turned out Liam was quite a natural at the sport. Louis told him he'd be best suited as a Seeker, and after a few practice sessions, it seemed as if the boy was right. By his second year, Liam became the new Seeker for the Gryffindor quidditch team, but it also seemed as if the same had occurred for Niall in the Slytherin quidditch team. This meant both boys would compete against each other any time Gryffindor faced Slytherin.

It was the morning before the two faced each other in their third year that Liam first met Harry. Harry was a Hufflepuff student that Louis was good friends with. He told Liam all about him, but never introduced the two. Harry had approached Liam to wish him luck before the big game, and the two became fast friends. Liam had learnt from Louis that Hufflepuff was the house for the loyal and the kind, and he could really understand why Harry was placed in that house. What Liam didn't understand was why Harry was such good friends with Zayn. Harry had tried explaining to both Louis and Liam on several occasions that the two first spoke because they were paired up for a potions assignment, and  
they grew close through that. Harry was constantly trying to reassure the two that Zayn really was a really "nice guy" and "a good laugh". 

Liam definitely didn't get the impression of a 'nice guy' on their first train journey in, and the dirty looks he still occasionally threw in Liam's direction now and then were a clear indication that not much had changed. Louis also refused to accept Harry's statements because of the way he reacted towards Liam. He was also a good friend of Niall's and according to Louis: "anyone who's a friend of his can't be a nice guy". Liam still wasn't too sure why Louis hated Niall so much, but he was always too afraid to ask.

Harry had also congratulated Liam after the match for catching the golden snitch, and pulled him in for one of the biggest hugs Liam had ever had off anyone that wasn't his mum. The three boys formed a nice trio, but Harry was constantly insisting to Louis and Liam that they should talk to Zayn. It was on a trip to Hogsmeade that the two finally gave in. Well, more accurately, Harry had told Zayn to meet them in the Three Broomsticks pub so they could chat over a butterbeer, but failed to tell Liam and Louis of his plans. Needless to say, neither boy found this surprise very pleasant. 

"Zayn, over here!" Harry had called him over only a few short minutes after they'd sat down at a table. The Ravenclaw lad made his way over very slowly, as if a little unsure. 

"Harry, what the hell are you doing?" Louis was not happy at all. 

"I'm inviting Zayn to sit with us." Harry said matter of factly, and if it were completely obvious. 

"I can see that, but why?" Louis hissed. 

"Because he's my friend, and I want you to actually speak to him." Louis rolled his eyes. "You've got some weird grudge against him, and I don't know why."

"It's because-". Louis never got to finish what he was saying, because Zayn's arrival interrupted their conversation. 

"Um, hi." He muttered, mainly looking at Harry. 

"Hey, Zayn, come sit here." Harry motioned towards the seat next to him, the one opposite Liam's. "Zayn, this is Louis and Liam." Harry pointed to each boy as he said this. 

"Hi." Zayn said rather shyly, only looking at Louis. It was as if Liam's presence meant nothing to him. Louis nodded in response. 

A silence fell over the table, and Liam hadn't felt so uncomfortable in a long time. Louis looked as if he were trying to kill Zayn with a look, Zayn was looking rather scared and uncomfortable under Louis' gaze and Harry had a desperate look on his face. 

"So Zayn," Harry said moments later, "what did you think of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin quidditch game the other day?" Harry was clearly desperate to make any conversation. 

"Um, yeah, it was okay." The dark haired boy shrugged. "I'd have preferred it if Slytherin won, but I don't mind that much." He said rather nonchalantly. Louis scrunched his nose up at this answer. 

"Yeah, well, Gryffindor have the best Seeker in the whole school, so." Louis clapped Liam on the back, and the other boy grimaced in the form of a smile. 

"Hmmm." Zayn hummed, looking at Liam for the first time since he had sat down. 

"What, you don't agree?" Louis asked him, rather accusingly.

"I don't know. I wouldn't say he's the best."

"And who might that be then?"

"Niall Horan." Zayn answered quickly, although he did only have to pick from three other people.

"Niall Horan?" Louis scoffed, and rolled his eyes overdramatically. "No surprises there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liam and Harry shared a look, both sensing the tension growing around their table, but neither knowing how to stop it.

"The fact you picked pureblood Horan over muggle-born Liam here. Liam is quite clearly a better Seeker than Horan, proven by the fact he beat him in their last match, and every time they've ever faced each other." Liam blushed. It was true, Liam had never lost to Niall in quidditch; he always got the snitch before him.

"What does their blood status have to do with anything? Niall's my friend, of course I'd pick him over some guy I don't even know."

"You don't know him, yet you can still give him dirty looks?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Liam told me that on the train to Hogwarts, you and Horan sat giving him dirty looks the whole journey."

"Louis-", Liam began, before he was cut off.

"That was two years ago!"

"Yeah, well, why did you do it?"

"Because I come from a pureblood family that thinks they're better than everyone. I was raised to see muggle-borns as dirty, and taught to hate them. That's why. I don't think like that anymore! I disappointed a lot of my family by being sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, but I'm glad it happened now, because the people in Ravenclaw taught me to realise how stupid my thoughts about blood status were." Zayn was shaking a little by the end of his rant. The other three boys were stunned into silence, and Zayn was almost  
seething.

"Whatever. I don't trust you around Liam." Louis was as stubborn as anything, causing Zayn to roll his eyes.

"So? Who said I wanted to be your friend anyway? I'm only here because Harry asked me to meet him." Louis was absolutely baffled by Zayn; how was someone as great as Harry friends with someone like this?

The table fell into another awkward silence as the four boys drank their butterbeer without a word. 

"Malik!" A shout came from the direction of the entrance. All boys turned their head in the direction of it. "How you doing buddy?" Zayn was clapped on the back quite roughly by none other than Niall Horan. Liam could feel the blush immediately grow on his face, and all the air seemed to have been sucked out of his lungs in that moment. Liam still didn't get why he felt this way around the boy. He now knew that friends didn't make people feel this way, and Niall most definitely wasn't his friend. In fact, the Irish boy had made it pretty clear that he despised Liam, yet Liam still got butterflies around him.

"Hey Ni, what's up?" Zayn replied, who smiled for the first time since he'd sat down. Niall looked to the table, inspecting who Zayn was sat with, and Liam watched his eyes narrow as they met his.

"Why are you sat here?" Niall didn't remove his look from Liam's as he spoke. "Why are you sat with him?" He gestured in Liam's direction, pointlessly as everyone already knew who he was talking about.

"I'm mates with Harry, and he asked me to sit with him." Zayn explained carefully.

"What's your problem with Liam?" Louis cut in aggressively. 

"I'd mind your own fucking business if I were you, Tomlinson." Niall finally removed his gaze from Liam to sneer at Louis.

"You made it my fucking business when you started insulting my best friend, you racist!" Louis shot back.

"It's not my fault your best friend is a dirty fucking mudblood!"

"That's it!" Louis shouted. He shot up from his seat and Zayn jumped up too, just in time to stop Louis attacking Niall. Niall jumped out the way, and in the process fell into where Liam was sitting. His chair tilted back, and both boys went tumbling to the floor.

"Ahhhh!" Liam cried out in pain as his head hit the floor, and the wind was knocked out of him by the weight of Niall. Niall pushed himself up onto his arms and both boys froze as he hovered above Liam. The world seemed to pause for a moment as Niall stared down at Liam, the boy breathing heavily onto the other lad below him. Niall seemed to come to a sudden realisation to how long he'd been lay on top of Liam, and scrambled to his feet quickly. He left the pub without speaking to anyone. Liam lay on the floor a little while too long, and Louis had to yank him back onto his feet. 

"I fucking hate that prick." Louis practically snarled. "Are you alright, Liam?" Liam nodded, still slightly dazed.

"I'm sorry about that." Zayn said, sincerely.

"You could have fucking done more to stop him!" Louis snapped back.

"Louis stop!" Liam hated shouting at Louis, always conscious about upsetting him. "Zayn, it's fine, cheers mate." Liam gave him a smile. He thought he'd give Zayn a chance; Liam really liked Harry and he knew it'd make him happy. Also, he hated the constant bickering between Louis with Harry about Zayn.  
Zayn and Liam became fast friends soon after the trip to Hogsmeade. Louis was a little more closed off, wanting to protect Liam, but eventually realised he posed no threat to him. Niall made his distaste for Zayn's new friends potently obvious any time he saw Zayn with them, and many times the other boys would have to pull Louis away from Niall as he tried to jump on him.

***

 

It wasn't until Liam was a fourth year that he realised he was in love with Niall. He hated it, he really did, because he knew Niall couldn't stand him. Liam should hate Niall, he really should. Niall was horrible towards him; hated him purely because his family couldn't do magic. He couldn't tell Louis, definitely couldn't. Louis would think he was crazy and spend hours shouting Liam's ears off until he was satisfied Liam understood why he was so thick. He couldn't tell Zayn, no, he was too close to Niall. He couldn't be satisfied Zayn wouldn't tell him. So Liam was left with Harry.

"Harry, can I speak to you about something?" Liam had asked Harry one afternoon. Zayn was hanging out with Niall and Louis was serving a detention, so Harry and Liam were alone together until dinner. They'd gone to sit outside together, to enjoy the nice weather before it turned cold.

"Course you can, Li, is everything okay?" Harry gave him a small, warm smile.

"Um, well, it's stupid really." Liam shook his head.

"I'm sure it's really not." Harry reassured him.

"Well, you see, um..." Liam paused, unsure of how to tell him. Harry was patiently silent, allowing Liam to take his time. "Err, you know Niall Horan?" Harry nodded.

"Has he said something to you again?" Harry's face turned to one of concern.

"No, no, no, it's not that. It's really stupid, and you're gonna think I'm an idiot, but..." Liam took a deep breath. "I'm kind of, sort of, in love with him." Liam refused to look at Harry, not sure what his reaction would be. They both sat in silence for a while.

"In all honesty Li," Liam turned to look now, "I sort of suspected you liked him."

"What, really?" Liam's eyes grew wide.

"Yeah, well, it's just that you always have this look in your eyes when you look at him, and it's quite sweet really. It's a bit like how my stepdad looks at my mum." Harry smiled at him.

"Bet you think I'm a big idiot, right?"

"Ehh, I mean, I wish you could've fallen for someone that deserves you, but it's not something you can control." Liam nodded, feeling a little lighter now this heavy weight was slightly lessened. Not completely, of course, Louis and Zayn didn't know, and Liam was still in love with a boy who hated him. Harry smiled at him, and Liam grinned back. He was happy for now anyway.

 

***

 

Liam and Niall were both made captain of their respective quidditch teams in their fourth year. This only went to strengthen their rivalry. Any time they played against each other, they were much more aggressive. Both boys always walked away with some sort of injury at the hands of the other. Their final game, which would be key in deciding who would win the house cup, was the most intense. Gryffindor and Slytherin were both neck and neck to win the house cup, and both boys wanted to help their house win.

The two lads walked towards each other, broomsticks in tow. Niall's grip as they shook hands was much stronger than Liam had ever felt it, as if Niall were trying to break his hand. They both stared at each, Liam trying to keep his face stern looking despite the usual blush that came on his face any time Niall was around. Niall had a hard look in his eyes, the blue glowing even more ever since he'd dyed his hair blond in their third year. Liam remembered when he first saw Niall after that summer; his heart had jumped when he saw his new hair, and Louis had to practically belt Liam in the arm to get his attention back. 

The whistle sounded, and all the players rose into the air. Liam loved the way flying felt, he felt so powerful and so in control of himself. It was all so natural to Liam, as if he was born to be a Seeker. He loved quidditch almost as much as he loved football, but he was much better in a quidditch team than a football team. He flew up high so he could watch his team below him. He saw the pillars containing the rest of the school too, the crowds jumping up and down. He couldn't hear them cheering from where he was though.

About half an hour in, it began to rain rather heavily. Everyone was drenched and freezing cold, but the golden snitch was nowhere in sight. The vision was a lot worse now that it was raining too. The game below Liam was certainly heating up despite the weather. Gryffindor versus Slytherin was never a quiet one, plenty of fouls and penalties taking place. A golden glint caught Liam's eye as a penalty was being given to Slytherin. Liam sped off in the direction he thought it came from. Niall was watching him, and worried Liam was about to get the snitch. Niall really didn't want to lose to him yet again. He sped over, chasing the other boy.

Liam had slowed down slightly, not too sure where the snitch had gone now. This gave Niall the chance to catch up to him. The boys were now flying side by side. Niall barged Liam with his shoulder, knocking him over slightly. Liam decided to pull back, knowing Niall wouldn't be afraid to play dirty. This confused the blonde boy. He thought Liam was flying in the direction of the snitch, perhaps he'd seen it go somewhere else. Liam had stopped flying altogether now. Niall watched him for a while, flying slowly closer to him. Liam rolled his eyes and scoffed as Niall was now only a few mere feet away from him.

"What are you rolling your eyes at, Payne?" Niall shouted across to him.

"Just the fact you're following me, like you do every game!" Liam shouted back. Niall had now flown next to him so he could hear him properly.

"Get over yourself, like I'd ever follow you." Niall shot back, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly.

"So you just conveniently happen to be flying behind me all the time?"

"Because we're both looking for the same thing you stupid twat!" Liam would've laughed if it was anyone else. He usually found it quite funny to piss off people he didn't like, but Niall was obviously someone Liam liked, very much so. Instead Liam just shook his head, wiping his wet hair off his forehead. He went back to looking for the snitch, but Niall's lingering presence next to him was really distracting.

Suddenly, the snitch flew right in between Niall and Liam's heads. Both boys heads shot round in the direction it had gone. Niall stuck his elbow out as he flew past Liam, smacking him in the face. Liam felt his nose crack as he was knocked backwards. He leant forward on his broom, gripping it tighter as his head went fuzzy. It was a different kind of fuzzy to the one his head went around Niall. No, this was the kind of fuzzy that came with a concussion. Liam was sure he'd have one from the blow Niall gave him. The blood from his nose was washed away in the rain as he sped in the direction of Niall. Niall stopped short rather quickly in front of him, and Liam flew straight into the back of him. Liam had been flying really fast in order to catch Niall up, meaning the momentum he hit Niall with was very strong. Liam groaned in pain; he smacked his head into Niall upon the impact, hurting him even more. Niall span round quickly, and punched Liam straight in the stomach, winding him.

"What the fuck?" Liam shouted, his voice strained from his lack of breath. "What the hell was that for?"

"You did that on purpose, you prick!" Niall's face was red with anger. "You tried to hit me off my broom on purpose!"

"As if I'd need to do that to beat you anyway!"

"Fuck you!" Niall reached out to hit Liam again, but the other boy dodged it in time.

"You're the one that hit me in the face first anyway!" Liam gestured towards his nose that was bleeding heavily now. He spat some of the blood that had run into his mouth. "Think you've broken my nose you knob!"

"It's what you deserve you fucking mudblood." Niall spat back. Liam was sick of that word. Niall was constantly throwing that word in Liam's face and he hated it. Something inside of Liam snapped and he lurched forward and hit Niall in the face back. Niall fell back, clutching his jaw. Niall cried out in pain before going back to hit Liam too. Both boys started hitting and shoving each other, shouting out various insults occasionally; they were too high up for this to be noticed by the referee, who was busy breaking up another fight between the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams. Niall gave Liam a particularly hard shove, which threw him off balance. He was already dizzy enough, meaning he couldn't get himself back upright. He felt himself falling, and time seemed to slow down. His heart caught in his throat as he began to fall downwards. He wouldn't survive the fall, it was way too high up. Liam was busy imagining how his family would react to the news of his death, when he was being pulled back by a pair of strong arms. Someone had caught him, pulling him onto their own broomstick. Liam didn't care who it was; he grabbed onto them, holding them tight desperately. He was held in an embrace, breathing heavily and rested his head on the person's shoulder. Liam had never felt like this, he didn't even realise his heart could beat that fast; he was sure it wasn't healthy.

After what felt like forever for Liam's heart to slow down, he sat up to look at who'd saved him. 

"Niall!" He was shocked. Niall was the one who'd pushed him, why would he save him too?

"You okay, Liam?" Liam was even more shocked. Niall had never once called Liam by his first name before since that train journey on their first day; it was always either Payne, or mudblood, or some other insult he'd conjured up.

"Er, er, yeah, I think so." Liam blinked a few times, his vision still rather blurry. He felt rather faint so, without thinking, he dropped his head back onto Niall's shoulder.

"Um," Niall coughed, but didn't push Liam off him. "I didn't mean for you to fall off, I'm really sorry."

"Hmmm, s'okay." Liam muttered into his shoulder. Niall started rubbing his hand up and down Liam's back, and it was then that he'd realised both of them still had their arms wrapped round each other.

"I'm really really sorry." Niall mumbled into Liam's hair. Liam had never heard his voice this soft, not a trace of venom lacing his words. Liam wasn't completely sure what Niall was apologising for anymore.

The referee had called a time out on the game in order to get Liam another broom, before everything was back under way again. It was still raining heavily, and Liam desperately wanted to end the game. He searched frantically for the snitch, and as soon as he caught sight of it, he was off again. It was hard for him to fly straight and focus on the game, but he was determined to end it. Niall was also making chase behind Liam, but he seemed to be holding back now. Liam knew Niall should be ahead of him, Liam wasn't flying up to his usual standard so Niall should at least be side by side with him by now. He shook that thought out of his mind as he reached his hand out from his broom. The snitch was within his grasp now, his fingertips were touching it. He let out a deep sigh of relief when he felt his hand clasp around the cold metal. The little golden wings flapped around in his hands as he held it high above his head, huge grin on his face as he lowered himself to the ground.

Liam didn't get time to celebrate, as he was shipped off straight to the hospital wing. He wasn't allowed to go to sleep because of his concussion, so he braced himself for a long night. Louis, Zayn and Harry sat with him until lights out before they were pushed out by the nurse. About an hour later, Liam heard the door to the hospital wing be pushed open carefully, as if not wanting anyone to hear. Liam turned his head sleepily towards the door, and he would've jolted upright if he had the energy when he saw Niall.

"What are you doing here?" Liam mumbled quietly.

"Hey Liam." Niall gave him a small smile. "Can I sit down?" Liam nodded, so Niall took the seat closest to his bed. "How are you feeling?" Liam shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm pretty tired. Bit sore here and there. Not too bad though." Liam gave Niall a small smile as if to show this, and Niall looked a little relieved with Liam's answer.

"Glad to hear I didn't kill you then." Niall laughed a little.

"You gave it a good go." Liam laughed back.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry." Niall shifted in his seat awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Stop it. Stop apologising. Everything's fine." Liam waved his hand casually. This was the most they'd spoken since the train journey, and Liam was a little grateful he was on some pain medication because it made him much more relaxed.

"Okay, um sorry." Niall laughed. "Just did it again." Liam smiled at him. Niall was pretty cute when he was flustered, Liam thought. "You know, I know you said stop apologising. But, um, I wanted to say sorry again."

"What for?" Liam laughed.

"Um, just, you know, how I've treated you the past four years I guess." Niall looked as if he was struggling to keep his gaze on Liam. He seemed to have some internal battle going on, and Liam was sure he had more to say so didn't speak up just yet. "That day we met, you know on the train?" Liam nodded. "Well, I saw you with your family saying goodbye. I could tell how excited you were and I thought it was so cute." Niall was smiling again now. "And then I saw you sat alone in the carriage, and I just had to come sit with you. It's stupid thinking about it now, because I could tell your family were muggles just by looking at them, so I don't know why I reacted so badly when all you did was confirm it for me on the train. Um, my family are a bunch of arseholes. I really hate them, if I'm honest with you. I always hated the way they treated people because of their blood status, but then I went and did the same with you. It took me years to figure out why I did it. I spent all this time hating myself for using that word with you. I'd vowed to myself I'd never treat anyone like that, the way I'd seen my family do it. That's why I was so angry all the time. I was angry with myself. But then, yeah, I worked out why I'd done it. You see, um," he coughed, then paused to take a breath. "My family hate lots of people. They hate people not only for their blood status, but also their race and stuff like that. They don't like me being friends with Zayn even though he's a pureblood, purely because he's not in Slytherin and his dad's from Pakistan. I told you, they're massive dicks. They're also very homophobic. Um, so I knew shaming people for their blood status and their race was stupid because it's something you can't change. But they'd raised me to believe you could choose who you fancied, and they told me people chose to be gay because they wanted to be special. So, when I met you, um..." Niall really seemed to be struggling now. He ran his hands threw his hair a few time, pulling on the blonde strands. "Um, well, you made me feel really weird. And I felt a bit sick. And I told myself it was because my family must've been right, that because you're muggle-born it's not right. I found it easier to be mean to you than to accept what I'd been denying for years. But when you fell off your broom, it just made me realise that if I lost you I'd don't know what I'd do." Niall put his head in his hands and crouched over for a while.

"Niall, um, what are you saying?" Liam was struggling to take in everything Niall was saying; concussion or not, it was a lot to process.

"Look Liam. I'm trying to tell you that, er, I - and I know I'm gonna look like a big idiot now but, um - I think, I mean I know, I like you?" It definitely was not a question, but Niall said it that way.

"Am I dreaming?" Liam hadn't realised this was said aloud; he was too dazed to notice. Surely this wasn't real?

"No?" Niall laughed nervously.

"Like me how?"

"Liam," Niall whined a little, "you know. As in like, more than you like a friend."

"Oh, okay." Liam nodded. Niall's face fell, sure his feelings weren't reciprocated; not that he genuinely thought he would anyway. "Good." Niall's head shot up.

"Good?"

"Mmm." Liam hummed.

"Why's that good?"

"Good to know I'm not the only one then."

"Er, what do you mean?"

"Well, I've basically been in love with you since that train journey." The pain medication was really making Liam lose his filter.

"What, really?" Liam nodded. "Even after how I've treated you?"

"Mhmmm." Liam nodded, sleepily.

"Did the nurse give you something to help the pain?" Liam nodded, smiling at Niall. The blonde boy started laughing before reaching out to hold Liam's hand. He gave it a small squeeze, loving how warm it felt in his.

 

***

 

Niall stayed with Liam all night, accepting his punishment from his head of house for being up after hours; it was worth it of course. Zayn, of course, welcomed Niall into their group. Harry was extremely happy for Liam that they were together, and so eventually accepted Niall in, not with welcome arms however. Louis took a lot of convincing, years even. He was still extra cold towards Niall, even by the time they finished their final year at Hogwarts. He could see how happy Liam was though.  
Liam's family absolutely loved Niall. As expected, Niall's family hated Liam, but neither of them cared. Niall had planned to leave home as soon as he left Hogwarts, so Liam's family help fund the boys' first flat. Niall lived his dream of leaving his family and becoming an auror, whilst Liam lived his dream of becoming a professional Seeker. He captained Wigtown Wanderers and the England national team. Niall supported him all the way, but of course Liam understood when that support was gone whenever England played Ireland. Liam also lived his dream of marrying the man he fell in love with aged eleven.

He was so grateful that letter came through his door. He didn't even want to imagine what his life would've been like if he would've had to stay in Wolverhampton.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Sorry about the ending. I wanted to get this up because I'm already late with it and I just didn't know how to end it. This was written for theme 11 of the NiamNetwork: movie/book/TV AUs. I wasn't sure what to do at first, but the first thing that came to mind was Harry Potter, because it's by far my favourite books.  
> Thank you again for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think, of course I know I'm no JK Rowling. Make sure you check out the NiamNetwork on Tumblr!


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